Important dates in Brighton transport
26 November 1935. Thomas Tilling Ltd. launches a new subsidiary company: Brighton, Hove & District Omnibus Company Ltd.
1 April 1939. The Brighton Transport Bill, known as the 1939 Agreement commences. Henceforth, Brighton Corporation Transport and Brighton, Hove & District Omnibus Company Ltd operate motorbuses and trolleybuses in a common livery of red and cream, pooling all receipts and sharing route mileage, 72.5% to BH&D, 27.5% to BCT. All vehicles from both fleets carry `Brighton, Hove & District Transport` fleetnames. This agreement remains for the next 21 years. As part of this Agreement, the Brighton Corporation trams are to be phased out which takes place until August 1939. For a few months the Corporation was operating three different forms of traction, operating trams, trolleybuses and motorbuses simulteaneously
28 March 1945. BH&Ds Holland Road coachworks destroyed by fire. All bodybuilding work is accomodated at Conway Street depot.
September 1948. Thomas Tilling Ltd sells BH&D to the British Transport Commision.
1 January 1951. First 8ft wide buses enter service with BH&D.
18 November 1960. New agreement between Brighton Corporation, BH&D and Southdown. Pool of route mileage/revenue on a ratio of 20.5%, 50.5% and 29% respectively. This new agreement between the three companies co-ordinated bus services, increased the choice for the travelling public in the Brighton area and prevented unnessary duplication of bus services. The operating area would be known as the Brighton Area Transport Services (B.A.T.S.) and encompassed both Brighton and Hove together with adjoining communities such as Shoreham and Rottingdean. The BATS Agreement, as it became known was operational from 1 January 1961 and would last for the next twenty-four years.
1 January 1969. Formation of the National Bus Company. Both Southdown and BH&D become subsidiaries and merge together. However this merger effectively means BH&D becomes an operating division of Southdown. Initially the red/cream livery and fleetname are retained but from September 1971 a repainting programme is initiated and a joint fleetname are introduced.
March 1970. Brighton Corporation Transport adopts a new livery of blue and white. The choice of livery was to reflect the sea and white cliffs and was in response to a number of complaints from the public that did not relate to the Corporation but rather to BH&D so as to differentiate the two operators. The change in livery was possible because, since the elimination of trolleybuses, there was nothing in the B.A.T.S. Agreement relating to liveries.
14 September 1971. First Brighton, Hove & District vehicle (FSF Lodekka no. 2028) to be repainted into Southdown green/cream with joint `Southdown - BH&D` fleetnames.
1972. The National Bus Company introduce a new corporate image for the bus fleets whereby either a Poppy Red or Leaf Green livery may be adopted. The livery includes a white centre band, white fleetname and double-N logo, leaf grey wheels and lettering. Southdown adopts the green livery. A small number of early reciprients gain the N.B.C. style fleetname in cream lettering. Whilst this new corporate colour scheme would eventually become almost exclusive, the traditional Southdown livery would remain in ever decreasing numbers until 1979. For a number of years a mixture of either red/cream, green cream or corporate livery could be seen across the fleet.
31 December 1985. B.A.T.S. agreement abandoned by mutual agreement between Brighton Borough Transport and Southdown.
